iFanboy Video Podcast

iFanboy – Episode #145 – Comics for Kids!

Show Notes

The comic book industry wouldn't exist without kids reading comics and becoming future comic readers. The move from comics for kids to comics for adults in the 1980s and 1990s lead to the audience of comics readers dwindling. Luckily, many of the comic book publishers have realized this and have started making comics specifically for kids.

Tiny Titans (DC Comics)

The Eisner award winning comic book from DC Comics, Tiny Titans, is perfect for kids aged 3 to 8 and even for adults too. It's Ron's nieces favorite comics and a great way to get kids introduced to the world of DC Comics.

X-Babies (Marvel Comics)
From the Marvel side of things is X-Babies, which is new comic book featuring mini versions of the X-Men. Of course this is Ron's favorite, but is also a great way to get kids introduced to Marvel's popular mutants, the X-Men.

G-Man (Image Comics)

Chris Giarusso is known for his work on Mini-Marvels for Marvel Comics, but more recently he's been publishing his creator-owned title G-Man from Image Comics, which is great for kids with some beautiful art.

Bone

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Marvel Comics)

Marvel Comics recent release, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by Eric Shanower and drawn by Skottie Young is a beautiful adaptation of the classic book and a must have for kids of all ages.

Douglas Fredricks and the House of They (Image Comics)

One of Josh's favorite picks, and one he hopes to share with his son is Douglas Fredricks and the House of They, from Image Comics. By comic vet Joe Kelly, this is a bit more of a picture book but with some amazing art and a story with a great lesson for kids.

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Great Show! I recently gave the first issue of Incredibles, as well as the fir st issue of Casper and Friends to my Cousins kids as part of their Xmas present. I also plan to begin reading Uncle Scrooge myself (I loved Ducktails when I was a kid!).

I have a 9 year old girl who gets pretty mad at all the boys in comics. But she has found a few books she really loves. Many are from authors who started on the web. Jellaby and Amulet are both favorites of hers. Also, now published by Scholastic, Amelia.

Good episode, and I understand what you mean by the news headlines: Comics no longer for kids! The more things change… but I take it in stride that it’s just a story to fill some newspaper space. Oddly I don’t think they ever were just for kids. Heck, back in WWII G.I.s would read them, and I imagine before that too. If fact all of the comics you mentioned sounded intersting, though I prefer something a bit more mature. Bone is a great comic.

There was a World of Shazam comic that looked like a kids comic not that long ago, done in the same kiddie art style.

Akiko & the Planet Smoo–I’d think most kids could enjoy.

The Wizard of Oz did look neat. Do you think I Kill Giants would be kid comic?

@bwhancock: No your onto something mate. My work sells those Sonic comics like they are crack. If it isn’t Archie, then Sonic is the most sold comic at that bookstore.

Great episode guys. I always like to try and get parents to get comics for their kids when I’m at work. Sometimes they get kids the regular ASM title; well I like to remind them that their is a more ‘kid friendly’ version since that isn’t the best thing for a kid to read. I got someone to read Owly once, made me very happy.

What a great idea for an episode. Spent the weekend trying to pick out appropriate comics for a friend’s kid’s birthday. Hopefully this episode will stand to me for the next batch of birthdays they have!

@bwhancock & thenextchampion: The Sonic comics from the UK (I assume those are the ones you’re talking about) in the 90′s were amazing. They added so much lore to the series and informed much of the fames’ stories going forward.

hello–i’ve been reading/listening/watching for a while now, but i finally got around to joining..just wanted to say thanks for all, it’s t’riffic..

re: this show, i wondered if anyone else enjoyed the Powerpuff Girls series of a few years ago?? i found a whole bunch in a charity shop near me recently, and they blew my socks off. i’m usually in the minority on these kind of questions though..

I have been really impressed by how public libraries have started to buy graphic novels for kids. I just checked the Baltimore County library system and put the Wizard of Oz and a Bone volume on reserve. Almost every branch has at least one copy of Wizard of Oz, and most all are checked out.

I spoke with my son’s grade school librarian last year about how to get boys to read more. She said that even tho she didn’t like the idea of graphic novels, it was the only thing the boys would read. The few she had in stock (Bone) were falling apart. Her responce was to recongnize that reading something was better than reading nothing. The only problem has been finding hard cover editions.

Yeah. I agree with Conor, those X-Babies recent comics are NOT for the kids, but for old timer X-Men fans.

And, what was the deal with the prices you put up with the comics? O.o Single issues are NOT 9.99! But like others, there are many more comics for kids not mentioned, though probably more for the teenset than the younger ones.

And let me say that Ron seems to be getting to militaristic with his nieces, I mean…quizzing them on their issues? Really? O.o Let them enjoy them first Ron!!

My six year old absolutely LOVES Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series and literally learned to read because of them… now, 8 months later, he reads at a 4th grade level. Way to go Captain Underpants! Even if you did teach my kid words like booger and snot.

Great idea for an episode. Now if only Tiny Titans could be read by more 6-year-olds and fewer 36-year-olds…

"BTW, people fretting over the fate of the Marvel Adventures line should stop"

Uh, they’re needing to CUT DOWN THE LINE, RELAUNCH IT, and charge $4 for the first issues (awful price point for kids who’ve never read comics before). Marvel Adventures has had–and still has–a purpose, but it’s obviously not a smashing success. I’m still waiting for actual sales figures that show MA Spidey as being a big seller, because the sales figures printed in the actual issues (tallying all copies printed) are very, very low. I wish it weren’t this way, but it is.

In the sixties when I started buying comics with my allowance, they cost about half to a forth of what I got for the week. As a precentage of a kids allowance, the comics aimed at them are too expencive. I understand profit, etc all, but realisticly, the comics don’t need to be fancy glossy paper just within their budjet.

What is a 7 year old’s allowance these days? The Marvel Adventures line needs to realize what there market is & cater to them.

@TNCHeh, I like that you’re so cautious about handing something less than kid-friendly to parents; I work for your competitor and just the other day, handed a seven year old who asked for Transformers stuff a trade of ‘All Hail Megatron’ (along w/ some actual kids Transformers books). Having never actually read it, I realized later that, for all I know, I just handed him robot-porn, but checked w/ my co-worker/fellow nerd if he read it and he confirmed that it’s fine for kids.

Would Mouse Guard be considered for kids? I specifically had any future bastrds in mind when I upgraded to the hardcovers a couple weeks ago (I have the TPB of vol. 1 and it’s already a bit worse for wear, so I wanted a sturdier version for 10, 20 yrs down the line when these captain jr.s are possible).

Loved this episode, Guys! Based on your podcast, I’m very excited to turn my daugter on to the House of They, Lockjaw & the Pet Avengers, & the Disney/Pixar comics from Boom!Kids.

My daughter adores comics & graphic novels! I was checking out some webcomics one evening when they caught the eye of my then-5 yr old daughter. After quickly switching to a more appropriate-for-kids webcomics, I realized the time had come for her first trip to the local comic book store! Yay!

They had a decent collection that included many of the comics featured in this podcast, but she was pulled toward Sonic the Hedgehog, & also James Kochalka’sJohnny Boo. But, what I attribute her first foray into extended, independent reading (besides Dr. Seuss) is Dylan Meconis’Bite Me: A Vampire Farce (the author is also known for The Family Man). She heard me laughing aloud to it one day, & not too long after that I found her *ehem…in the bathroom, with my signed copy (Aah!), laughing herself silly. Bite Me! -at first glance- seems like it would be inappropriate for a youngster, but compared to much of what these kids are exposed to nowadays, it’s pretty vanilla. As with anything, I strongly recommend parents read it first to determine whether or not it’s a good fit for their child.

Other graphic novels & comics she enjoys are: Owly by Andy Runton, Chilly Chilly Ice Bat by David Horvath & Sun-Min Kim, The Shy Creatures by David Mack, Copper by Kazu Kibuishi, as well as some shorts found within my six volumes of Flight, also by Kazu Kibuishi & various artists.

I’m pretty new to your podcast, & I’m not really in to superhero-type comics, but I quickly found that you feature a decent variety of genres, which is great! There is no doubt you guys not just enjoy comics, but appreciate all the work that goes into creating them. Your knowledge about the artists, writers, eras, etc. is impressive, & your enthusiasm is contagious…I just get sucked in! Thanks for all the effort & humor you put into this show!